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Original Air Date: 11/15/2022
Today, we take a look at our extremely steady history of political violence from the Revolution, through the Civil War, Reconstruction and Jim Crow, into the Civil Rights era, the Militia Movement and domestic terrorism, and now to our current once-again-radicalized, right-wing movement willing to use and tacitly condone violence as a political tactic.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Capitol Attack Wasn't the 1st Violent Incident in Congress - Inside Edition - Air Date 1-20-22
Ch. 2: A history of US political violence Part 1 - Americast - Air Date 11-2-22
Ch. 4: Political Violence Is No Anomaly in American History - System Check - Air Date 1-8-21
Ch. 7: Pelosi Attack Leads to Conspiracies, Obama Crushes GOP - The David Pakman Show - Air Date 10-31-22
Ch. 8: A history of US political violence Part 2 - Americast - Air Date 11-2-22
Air Date 9/23/2025
All that is happening in the wake of the Charlie Kirk assassination was quite predictable because we've actually seen this game plan play out before. The only thing we didn't know was what would be the catalyst to really put the autocracy into high gear.
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KEY POINTS
KP 1: No, Charlie Kirk Was Not Practicing Politics the Right Way - Mother Jones - Air Date 9-12-25
KP 2: Who Is THEY? - We Gon Be Alright - Air Date 9-15-25
KP 3: Blackpill Aesthetics: A Crash Course in Meme Extremism - Cy Canterel - Air Date 9-15-25
KP 4: The 1933 Nazi Playbook That Explains Why ABC Cancelled Kimmel - Tad Stoermer - Air Date 9-18-25
KP 5: How You Die Does Not Redeem How You Lived Charlie Kirk - The Benjamin Dixon Show - Air Date 9-15-25
KP 6: Charlie Kirk = Horst Wessel - CounterVortex Podcast - Air Date 9-14-25
KP 7: Chris Hedges: The Martyrdom of Charlie Kirk - The Chris Hedges Report - Air Date 9-12-25
(00:48:55) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the new cancel culture and bloodlust
DEEPER DIVES
(00:57:52) SECTION A: KIRK
(01:37:38) SECTION B: NAZI PLAYBOOK
(02:31:41) SECTION C: HISTORICAL CONTEXT
(03:03:36) SECTION D: IT'S NOT BOTH SIDES
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: Photo of Donald Trump hugging Charlie Kirk on stage at a Turning Point USA event.
Credit: "Charlie Kirk & Donald Trump" by Gage Skidmore, Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
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Air Date: 9–20-25
Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss:
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REFERENCES:
America has turned dancing into a culture war - Vox
Why America Isn't Rome (And Why That Matters) - The David Frum Show, The Atlantic
A public health expert keeps going viral on Instagram for delivering this very simple message - Vox
MEMBERS
She Exposed the Insurance Industry's Worst Behavior. Now They're Coming After Her. - The Current Affairs
EXTRAS
Some great public health campaigns
Also, Dumb Ways to Die campaign for Melbourne, Australia Metro Trains, which went viral worldwide.
TAKE ACTION:
No Kings National Day of Action - Oct. 18th
Free DC Project: FOR ALLIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY - Tell Congress to stand down the federal escalation
In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach
Use the 5 Calls app for scripts and to reach all your elected officials
Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
Find your Indivisible group - or start one
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Produced by:
Jay! Tomlinson
Thanks for listening!
Air Date 9/20/2025
The escalations are happening so fast now that even though this episode is about Russia increasing tensions by violating NATO airspace in Poland with drones and Israel intensifying their belligerence by bombing inside Qatar, those aren't even the most recent incidents now that Russian jets have entered NATO airspace in Estonia and Israel has launched a new attack on Gaza City while Netanyahu says he wants Israel to become like the doomed city-state of Sparta, which was weird.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: Qatar Today, Turkey Tomorrow - HasanAbi - Air Date 9-11-25
KP 6: Israel Bombs Hamas Leaders in Qatar - Pod Save the World - Air Date 9-9-25
(00:58:31) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On Israel as the new Sparta
DEEPER DIVES
(01:03:11) SECTION A: RUSSIA
A1: Aftermath of Russian Drones Being Shot Down Over Poland - DW News - Air Date 9-10-25
A2: Putin Cozies Up To Modi And Xi - What A Day - Air Date 9-3-25
(01:27:06) SECTION B: QATAR BOMBING
B1: Israel Bombs Hamas Leaders in Qatar Part 2 - Pod Save the World - Air Date 9-9-25
B2: Qatar Today, Turkey Tomorrow Part 2 - HasanAbi - Air Date 9-11-25
B3: Israels Qatar Strike We Have to Be Careful When We Attack People - MSNBC Reports - Air Date 9-15-25
B4: Israel Bombs Hamas Leaders in Qatar Part 3 - Pod Save the World - Air Date 9-9-25
B5: After Bombing Qatar, Why Did Israel Strike Yemen - The Take - Air Date 9-15-25
(02:06:29) SECTION C: OTHER GAZA UPDATES
C2: Israels Genocide Is Pure Cowardice w/ Jon Elmer - BreakThrough News - Air Date 9-15-25
C5: Israels Genocide Is Pure Cowardice W Jon Elmer Part 2 - BreakThrough News - Air Date 9-15-25
(02:53:26) SECTION D: UK CRACKDOWN
D1: Is Direct Action for Palestine 'terrorism' The UK Says It Is - The Take - Air Date 7-10-25
D3: Is Direct Action for Palestine 'terrorism' The UK Says It Is Part 2 - The Take - Air Date 7-10-25
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: Photo of protestors holding signs that say "Ceasefire Now" and "Stop the Genocide"
Credit: "Free Palestine" by Can Pac Swire, Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Air Date 9/16/2025
Between recent Labor Day rallies and Republican Town Hall meetings, we're seeing that resistance to Trump's deeply unpopular policies is alive and well. Plus we're going to look at some historical legacies of resistance movements that can both inform and inspire us today.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: How Labor Unions Shape Society Margaret Levi (re-release) - TED Talks Daily - Air Date 9-1-25
KP 6: Rules for Surviving Authoritarian Times - How to Fix It - Air Date 6-22-25
(00:53:35) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On what our history can tell us about our present political conflict
A Senator Just Unapologetically Declared the U.S. a White Homeland
DEEPER DIVES
(01:03:18) SECTION A: LABOR DAY
A1: How Chicago Labor History Teaches Us To Fight Fascism Today - Kat Abughazaleh - Air Date 9-1-25
A4: How Labor Unions Shape Society Margaret Levi (re-release) Part 2 - TED Talks Daily - Air Date 9-1-25
(01:36:45) SECTION B: PROTESTS
B1: Rules for Surviving Authoritarian Times Part 2 - How to Fix It - Air Date 6-22-25
B3: The Resistance Vs. Trump 2.0 - Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast - Air Date 7-31-25
(02:08:57) SECTION C: STATE-LEVEL PUSHBACK
C2: Red-State Farmer Rips Republican At Town Hall - The Majority Report W Sam Seder - Air Date 8-26-25
C4: Republican Rep Gets Crushed During Town Hall - The Majority Report W Sam Seder - Air Date 9-7-25
C5: Our Top Priority with Rep. Brendan Boyle - The Practivist Pod - Air Date 9-4-25
(02:39:21) SECTION D: LEGACIES OF RESISTANCE
D1: Is America Becoming an Autocracy - On the Media - Air Date 8-29-25
D5: Jane Fonda Is Not Backing Down - Fresh Air - Air Date 9-2-25
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: Photo from the Labor Day rally in Boston depicting Sen. Ed Markey, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren holding a "Workers" banner with other participants. Tall, vertical rally flags are held behind them that say "Justice", "Solidarity," "Fairness," "Security," and "Freedom"
Credit: Internal photo. "Boston Labor Day Rally" | Copyright 2025, Best of the Left, All rights reserved.
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Air Date 9/11/2025
I've always learned the high-level understanding that the Nazis were partly able to come to power because the opposition at the time was too caught up with infighting to create a coherent resistance. With hindsight, it's easy to lament how badly they miscalculated the circumstances but living through the modern day and watching the Democratic Party struggle gives even more clarity to how that kind of inability to get organized in the face of existential threats to democracy can happen.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: This Guy, This Line - The Rational National - Air Date 9-2-25
KP 4: Desperate Kyle Begs and Pleads With Democrats - The Kyle Kulinski Show - Air Date 8-28-25
KP 5: Ritchie Torres Talks Zionism, LGBT, The Bronx - The Adam Friedland Show - Air Date 8-27-25
KP 6: Journalist Exposes Dark Money on the Left - UNFTR Media - Air Date 8-30-25
(00:50:07) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the murder of Charlie Kirk
DEEPER DIVES
(01:04:12) SECTION A: DARK MONEY AND THE INFLUENCER WAR
(02:01:36) SECTION B: AIPAC, ISRAEL, AND COMPLICITY
(02:46:14) SECTION C: MOSTLY WEAK BUT SIGNS OF LIFE
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: A graphic illustration depicting a donkey colored in red and blue, with stars, looking in shock at its shadow on the ground.
Credit: "Democratic Donkey Vector and Icon" by Vectorportal.com | CC BY 4.0
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Air Date 9/7/2025
Trump has been setting a new tone both at home and abroad which is shaking up everything from the war in Ukraine to threats of force against Mexico, Venezuela, and our own American cities with the militarization of domestic policing. And we made all of this before Trump posted an Apocalypse Now meme about using the Department of War against Chicago.
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KEY POINTS
KP 2: What Ukraine Is Fighting For Denys Pilash - The Majority Report W Sam Seder - Air Date 8-24-25
KP 4: Why Are US Warships Going to Venezuela Part 1 - The Take - Air Date 8-28-25
KP 5: The Dramatic Overhaul Of The Justice Dept. Part 1 - Fresh Air - Air Date 8-20-25
(00:56:33) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On encroaching fascism and the Boston Massacre
DEEPER DIVES
(01:07:01) SECTION A: UKRAINE
A1: Normalizing Militarization Part 1 - Main Justice - Air Date 8-27-25
(01:47:03) SECTION B: MEXICO & VENEZUELA
B1: Trump Admin Prepares to Attack Mexico - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 8-22-25
B2: Is Trump Fading - The Muckrake Political Podcast - Air Date 8-22-25
B4: Why Are US Warships Going to Venezuela Part 2 - The Take - Air Date 8-28-25
(02:11:53) SECTION C: THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
C1: The Dramatic Overhaul Of The Justice Dept. Part 2 - Fresh Air - Air Date 8-20-25
C2: Capehart and Ponnuru on the FBI's Raid on Trump Critic John Bolton - PBS NewsHour - Air Date 8-22-25
(02:37:10) SECTION D: DC AND US CITIES
D1: National Guard Troops In Washington Begin Carrying Weapons Part 1 - HasanAbi - Air Date 8-25-25
D2: Normalizing Militarization Part 2 - Main Justice - Air Date 8-27-25
D6: National Guard Troops In Washington Begin Carrying Weapons Part 2 - HasanAbi - Air Date 8-25-25
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: A sticker depicting a drawing of a police person in full riot gear, gas mask and visor, holding a baton in their hands with a banner underneath that says "Do you feel safe?"
Credit: "06a.PeoplesPowerAssembly.BaltimoreMD.8March2017" by Elvert Barnes | CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Cropped
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Air Date: 9–3-25
Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss:
Ch. 1 - The surprising origins of Gerrymandering
Ch. 2 - The options we have to improve congressional representation for everyone in the country
Ch. 3 - Democratic states response to Republican gerrymandering threats
Ch. 4 - The argument for DC statehood and the people to blame for why it hasn't happened yet
Ch. 5 - How to end homelessness and what you can do to help those being targeted in DC
SOLVED! BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm: The only correct opinion about the Cracker Barrel rebrand
YouTube (This episode drops on YouTube on Friday - please share!)
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REFERENCES:
Elbridge Gerry and the Original Gerrymander - The Gilder Lehrman Institute
Drawing the Line ("Ratf**cked": The Innfluence of Redistricting) - The New Yorker (2016)
History of Single Member Districts for Congress: Seeking Fair Representation Before PR - FairVote
Gavin Newsom's Retaliatory Redistricting Plan Is Good, Actually - The New Republic
How Democrats Should Actually Respond to Republicans' Attempts to Rig Voting Maps - Slate
How Moderate Senate Democrats Enabled Trump's D.C. Takeover - The American Prospect
Trump's Homelessness Crackdown Has Been Tried Before. It Didn't Work. - Mother Jones
MEMBERS
The New Cracker Barrel Logo Sucks And So Does The Mess Around It - Kotaku
EXTRAS
Congress literally doesn't care what you think (aka: Corruption is Legal in America) (Represent.US, 2016)
Is illegal immigration really a democratic plot to sway congressional apportionment?
Americans worry democracy in danger amid gerrymandering fights, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds
Air Date: 6–20-2023
Today, we take a look at the story of how neoliberalism was born, how corporations were organized to help push it into the mainstream, and how the courts were reshaped to permanently tilt the rules in favor of corporate power.
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SHOW NOTES
Ch. 1: Chile, Neoliberalism and the CIA - AJ+ - Air Date 11-29-19
Ch. 2: The Powell Memo. Corporate America's Call to Arms. - Unf*cking The Republic - Air Date 2-9-23
Ch. 3: How the Corporate Takeover of American Politics Began - Robert Reich - Air Date 12-13-22
Ch. 4: Greed Is Rotting America From The Inside Out - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 7-29-22
Ch. 5: Economic False Prophets Part 1 - Ralph Nader Radio Hour - Air Date 6-10-23
Ch. 6: What has Greed Cost America - Thom Hartmann Program - Air Date 10-28-14
Ch. 7: Economic False Prophets Part 2 - Ralph Nader Radio Hour - Air Date 6-10-23
Ch. 8: Wall Street's ESG Scam EXPLAINED - Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar - Air Date 6-16-22
Ch. 9: Anti-Capitalist Investing Is... Absurd — Jen Pan - Jacobin - Air Date 6-11-22
Produced by Jay! Tomlinson
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Air Date 9/1/2025
The way people consume almost every variety of media, entertainment, and art is different now than it was only 10-15 years ago. That means that the way protest music, revolutionary art, and even mass market productions and performances are going to be different, feel different, and likely find you in different ways than in the past. But the drive to create never dies and art will always be part of the resistance to oppression.
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KEY POINTS
(00:49:08) NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
On the strength of diversity that comes through in art
DEEPER DIVES
(00:56:08) SECTION A: CULTURE
(01:29:28) SECTION B: ART
(02:20:20) SECTION C: MUSIC
(02:46:54) SECTION D: ANDOR
SHOW IMAGE CREDITS
Description: Photo of street art depicting a stenciled version of Putin and Trump kissing a la the art on the Berlin Wall satirically depicting the "fraternal kiss" between the leaders of the Soviet Union and the German Democratic Republic.
Credit: "Hamburg 2020" by Ittmust | CC BY 2.0 | Changes: Slightly cropped
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